Boy has been charged with two felony counts after setting worrying “trend”

Feb 8, 2013 13:17 GMT  ·  By
12-year-old boy who targeted Ashton Kutcher in swatting hoax has been charged
   12-year-old boy who targeted Ashton Kutcher in swatting hoax has been charged

A new “trend” has been picking up speed in showbiz and, for once, celebrities involved in it aren’t doing anything to be so. Called swatting, it consists of a 911 call which results in SWAT teams descending upon stars’ homes, much like it happened to Ashton Kutcher back in October.

This was the first major incident of the kind and, for that, it’s believed to have “set” the trend.

A 12-year-old boy believed to have been involved in the prank call has now been charged by police, TMZ reports.

The boy, whose identity has not been revealed to the press, is believed to have called the cops himself, reporting that a gun battle was going on inside Kutcher’s home.

In a matter of minutes, police and special forces were at the door, only to discover that the whole thing had been a prank.

According to the aforementioned media outlet, the boy may have also conducted illegal activities online to find Kutcher’s home address and, at the same time, to erase all traces leading back to him as the hoaxer.

He has been charged with “two felony counts of making false bomb threats and two felony counts of computer intrusion” and will be arraigned in a Juvenile Court.

“Cops raced to Ashton's L.A. home in October after the boy allegedly contacted police and said there were people in the residence with guns and explosives. The caller also said several people had been shot,” TMZ notes.

“When police arrived, they realized the whole thing was a prank – there was never any real danger. Officials believe the boy also pulled a similar ‘swatting’ prank on an LA bank later that month,” adds the same report.

Since then, countless other celebrities have also been targeted in swatting hoaxes, including Tom Cruise, Kris and Bruce Jenner, and singer Chris Brown.

No word yet on whether police are any closer to catching these hoaxers.